The Gentleman's Muse
by Anjelle
Summary: A series of drabbles centred around a top hat wearing blond and pirate captain that is so done with everything.
1. Prisoner AU

So this, my lovelies, is going to be a series of drabbles. I get requests when I do drabble memes on tumblr and I post them here. I have a few of these already: Pineapple Blaze for MarcoAce, Fire and Straw for AceLu, and A Mind's Wanderings for everything else. Well, here's where all of my SaboLaw is going to go! XD It's a pairing with a small following, but since it was just me less than two years ago, I'm happy to see the love for it growing. So hope you guys enjoy!

* * *

**Prison!AU**

* * *

Law was… displeased.

He remembered a blur of lights and sounds—gunshots and uniforms. He'd been treating a man's wounds, doing his duty and then—and then it was just blank, and he couldn't recall what happened after.

Finding himself cuffed and tied to a chair was enough to fill him in.

It wasn't hard to tell that he was in enemy territory. If the cuffs weren't enough to hint at the outcome of the battle he'd been in, the emblems around the room were—the royal blues of the army.

And he was stuck in the middle of it all. Fantastic.

A door creaked open behind him—he couldn't turn to face it, which left him feeling unsettled—and the clacking of steel-toed boots crept across the floor, closer and closer before a blond clad in blue came into sight.

The man looked young, perhaps around Law's age, with features that certainly didn't leave him feeling intimidated. But where his looks failed to get across his purpose, the emblem on his uniform more than made up for it.

Law scowled. This wasn't going to be pleasant.

The blond turned to face him, locking him under the heavy gaze of round, blue eyes. His stare was unflinching—unnerving—as he hopped onto the edge of the desk behind him and sat, completely uncaring of the papers scattered atop his make-shift seat.

The pair remained in tense silence until the one standing before him sighed, finally blinking. "The other guy died, you know—the one who's qualified to do these sorts of things." The statement came out of nowhere, with no lead and no real purpose. It was… extremely bizarre, and he didn't know how to react, deciding to remain silent and observant, trying to figure out just what was going on in the other's head. "So they pulled _me_ in here. And I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing."

…Well, he was blunt. So he was there… to interrogate Law, wasn't he? He wondered how that would play out—what methods this man would use and to what extent he'd be willing to go to get his information. It was almost… intimidating.

This was war, after all.

The blond raised his hand and Law tensed, preparing for the man's first attempt at _convincing_ him to divulge important information. But instead of some sort of act, he was met with the sloshing of liquid in a bottle.

He eyed the hand. _Alcohol?_

"Want some whisky?" came the simple question. He couldn't have been serious. There was no way. "The other guy kept a lot of it… I don't like it—not really supposed to drink on the job, anyway—and it'd be such a shame if it was wasted, y'know?"

Law eyed the bottle. It was probably tampered with—drugged, or something. Even if it wasn't, he didn't trust himself not to blurt anything out if impaired by it, and _why would he want a drink in that situation in the first place_? Finally he spat a firm, unyielding, "_No_."

The blond blinked. "Alright, fine then. I was just trying to be accommodating."

"To a captive?"

"Well why not?"

Law… wasn't sure what he should say to that. 'Why not'… Well he was an enemy, for one. They were on opposing sides of the war, for another. And lastly, wasn't he supposed to be doing whatever he could to make the prisoner say something?

His only response, in the end, was to stay silent.

The man pouted, hunching over a little as blue eyes met Law's gaze once more. "Look: you don't want to be here and I don't want to do this. Think you could cooperate and save me the hassle?"

This guy wasn't serious, was he? "Not a chance."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Not even if I say 'please'?"

"_No_."

The soldier huffed, hopping off of the desk and ignoring it as the papers he was sitting on scattered to the floor. He grabbed the back of the chair behind it and dragged it forward until it was right in front of Law, then plopped down on it. "Name's Sabo. Yours?"

Law just _stared_ at the man. "You can't be serious."

"Told you I don't know what I'm doing." He tilted his head. "Any suggestions?"

"You're asking your _captive_ for _interrogation tips_. Are you out of your mind?"

"Not entirely," the blond answered with a grin, folding one leg over the other. "But these things get all messy and, well, I don't _really_ want to do this. I won't hurt a defenceless man, but I doubt you'd break under empty threats, so we've… kind of reached an impasse."

Law snorted. "Have we now?"

"Well," the man rose to his feet with a hefted breath, "you can't move, and I'm a decent guy—don't give me that look, I am, being enemies has no real impact on my character—so yes, I'd say we have."

The captive smirked. If he wasn't going to _convinced_… "Then I win."

"Win? _You_?" The man—Sabo or whatever—seemed intrigued. "How so?"

"I'll have no reason to give anything up," he pointed.

Sabo frowned. "What's your name?"

"Fuck you."

"Hello, Fuck You, I'm Sabo. It's a pleasure."

"Smartass."

"Well?"

"What?"

"What is it? Tell me."

Law was silent.

"…Please?"

He turned away. As though he ever would.

"What harm could it do?"

Well… a lot, actually.

"Please?"

"No."

"Is that a 'no because I shouldn't' or a 'no because I'm stubborn'?"

Law stilled. "…I hate you."

The blond grinned. "Stubborn, then. Good to know."

And at that moment, the medic knew that this was the start of a painfully long interrogation.

* * *

**Adieu~**


	2. Pen Pals AU

**Note: Underlined words are meant to be scratched out. Unfortunately I didn't have the option for that, so :'D Enjoy!**

* * *

_Greetings and salutations, my friend!_

_It's been a while, hasn't it? How long, exactly? I apologize. I was sent on a mission—quite an important one—and I couldn't find time to write to you. But lame excuses aside, how are you? You're doing well, I trust?_

_I heard you ran into a boy in Sabaody—Strawhat Luffy. How's he fairing? That's my little brother, you know. The future pirate king. Don't laugh—he'll do it, too, just you watch!_

_We're about to start a rather… risky operation. I may not be able to reply as promptly as I used to. I trust you'll understand. So until then, take care of yourself, Tulip Lily!_

_Yours truly,_

_Sabo_

* * *

_Sabo,_

_Stop calling me that. My name is not Tulip Lily, it's Trafalgar Law, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around just how you wound up calling me something so absurd. For once, get it right._

_It's been two months. Not that long, really. I'm fine—same as always._

_Yeah, I met Strawhat-ya. Interesting character. I was at a human auction house when he showed up. Hitting a celestial dragon like that—he's certainly got my attention. Perhaps even my respect. So he's your brother? Makes too much sense. You're both highly eccentric._

_I trust you'll make it out alive. Always do. But this time, don't come back calling me some ridiculous name._

_Trafalgar Law_

* * *

_Ace_

_I don't_

_Is he okay? Luffy? Please tell me he's alright. I can't lose them both. __Does he h__ Tell him I'm sorry. So, so sorry._

_Sabo_

* * *

_He'll live. Probably._

_Tell him yourself._

_Law_

* * *

_Greetings, Tulip!_

_My, how long has it been this time? Certainly longer than two months! I actually don't know if you're going to get this… At the time of writing, I'm not sure where to send it. I know that you were staying on Punk Hazard last time you sent me something, but I don't have a clue whether you're still there! Damn._

_I'm going to visit Ace now. Actually, I'll be headed to Dressrosa next, so I'm stopping by his grave on the way. After all, I should deliver the good news, right? He'll be so relieved._

_I saw the paper. Luffy's returned—he's left Sabaody. Thank you, Law. For back then._

_I hope you're doing alright. I worry about you, you know. Be careful, and don't do anything stupid._

_Kindest regards,_

_Sabo_

* * *

_Goddamn it, Sabo, your brother is batshit insane!_

_I met him at Punk Hazard. On a whim I proposed an alliance… I don't know if I regret it or not. I cant believe I'm saying this but he's worse than you._

_And stop calling me that already. I'm not a damn flower. You got my name right once in that letter, so stop pretending you don't know it. How old are you? Really?_

_What a coincidence. We'll be heading to Dressrosa from here. You haven't seen him since you were kids, yeah? Maybe this is your chance. In any case, I'm going after Doflamingo. We've got Caesar in our custody, and we're going to destroy the factory next._

_I'm going at him with everything I have, Sabo. I'll either succeed or well. Knowing that, I'm actually looking forward to your response. Funny how that works. First time for everything, right?_

_Trafalgar Law_

* * *

_I saw the announcement—Ace's fruit._

_I'll be taking it._

_I don't really know why I'm writing this. I won't have time to send it out—we're about to land. With any luck, next time we speak will be in person, face-to-face. Yet here I am, writing it anyway. Funny how that works._

_Luffy goes at his own pace. He's always been like that. Bet by now you've been sucked into it! And hey, I'm not that bad! I'm… reasonable, I'd like to think. Yes, totally reasonable. Maybe. Sometimes._

_Awe, come on, Traffy! A pretty name for a pretty flower—what's wrong with that? Relax a little! And I'm twenty-two, thank you. You're not that much older._

_You'd better be alright when I get there, Lawsie. I told you not to do anything stupid. But Lu's there. And that boy's amazing. So… you know what? I'm not going to worry. I have him watching out for your sorry ass._

_Come on, you love hearing from me! Admit it!_

_…__Let's meet soon, alright? I've… got a lot of catching up to do. Both with you, and with my brother. When he sees me… I wonder if he'll punch me. I'll be ready for it._

_And I'll trust you to patch me up if he does._

_Oh, look, we're here!_

_See you soon, Trafalgar Law._

* * *

**Adieu~**


	3. Amnesia AU

**I sort of just realised that I never posted this here. A warning that way back when I wrote it I was sick and tired and this is basically the train wreck that resulted from that :'D I am sorry OTL**

* * *

When he'd heard that Law'd forgotten, he thought he was prepared. He stood outside the hospital room, bracing himself for what was to come—for a Law that couldn't recall his face or name, who didn't share the same memories or even know about _himself_. It took a painfully long time for him to gather and compose himself enough to assure that he wouldn't choke up. He went over what to do and say—and what _not_ to do, which was probably far more important—and finally he felt he'd prepared himself as best he could. With a slight waver to his gait, Sabo stepped inside.

Despite all that, he _never_ expected to be met with such a bright smile on the surgeon's face.

Sabo was taken aback—and actually _took _a step back, caught off guard by the way his old companion turned and looked at him, at the happy expression and light in his eyes that always felt so absent before. And, for just a moment, he had to wonder if he stepped into the wrong room. Maybe Law had an… evil twin or something.

…Or would Law _himself _have been the evil one?

Well, Law wasn't really _evil_ so much as he was broody…

Shaking his head to free his thoughts of the tangent they'd gone off on, the blond straightened his back and looked the man over. He took in the discoloured flesh along Law's temple, running down his neck and side—the soiled dressings that would soon need to be changed. It was hard to keep his stare from lingering, a mix of emotions swelling within his chest.

"…Sabo?"

The blond blinked, refocusing on the patient only to be met by a kind of hesitant curiosity—really not something that belonged on that face. "…Yes?"

Relief washed over Law's face and the earlier smile returned as he shifted nervously beneath his sheets—and this was just getting too strange. Whatever weird, messed up dream he was having needed to end before he started to actually believe it. "They… told me you would be coming. A blond man named 'Sabo'."

"Ahh…" So he really didn't remember, then. By 'they', Law probably meant his family. It appeared they'd left before the blond arrived. Swallowing, he stepped closer and seated himself on the chair at the other's bedside. "That's… correct. Did they mention anything else about me?"

Law had to think about that, humming as he tried to recall—a habit Sabo knew for a fact he didn't have before. "…That you follow me around a lot. Annoyingly so."

Sabo made a face similar to a displeased pout, huffing as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I do_ not_ follow you around, and I'm certainly not annoying. If anything, _you_ follow _me_." Or maybe it was that they both followed each other… They always seemed to find one another, even when they weren't looking.

Law laughed, a slightly unfamiliar sound, far lighter than it usually was—not that he laughed very often, of course, and that smile stretched into a grin. "Well it is nice to finally meet my stalker. Though for a stalker, you certainly aren't doing your job well; I've been here three days and this is the first I've seen of you."

"I am _not_ a stalker," he restated, frowning at the newly-talkative surgeon. "And I was… out of town when you had your accident, so today was the earliest I could come see you. I'm… sorry, Law."

The other shook his head, his smile softening. "It is fine. You're here now. And I wasn't exactly missing you." He tapped his temple to further push his point, wincing slightly, and that only had Sabo feeling worse, slouching in his seat. Law didn't seem to notice, though, leaning back against his pillow, staring unseeingly at the whitewashed wall at the end of his bed.

"Is… there anything you'd like? Are you hungry? Or—are you in pain? I could—"

"Could you tell me about myself?"

Sabo blinked, watching him curiously, trying to read the look in the eyes and discover just what, exactly, his love was thinking.

"I'm different from how I was. I know that. Could you… elaborate for me?"

After a long, drawn-out stillness, the blond pulled his mouth taut and offered the patient a curt nod. "I… can do that, if that's what you want."

The smile returned, minutely, and Law hummed. "I would like that, yes."

"Well…" How to start? "You're—happy. _Cheerful._ You don't _do_ 'happy'. Or, well, you _do_, but just… don't show it like this. You're normally all grumpy, or serious. And even when you're in a good mood you don't often smile. And you've only insulted me _once_ so far."

As he rambled on—for what had to have been at least an hour—he found himself scooting closer, telling Law whatever stories came to mind as he subconsciously held onto the other's hand.

And when Law returned the hold, the relief he felt couldn't be measured.

* * *

**I apologise for the sappy cheese. In my defence, sick.**

**Adieu~**


	4. Drunk Sabo

**Prompt from lollesblog on tumblr: **so i was thinking about sabolaw and, sabo is drunk, law finds him and sabo starts to make poems about law's pretty eyes and, maybe law records it so he can blackmail sabo later. idk but these twooo i swear to god ughhLaw knocked on the door, once, twice. He frowned when he went ignored. He _knew_ the bastard was in there, knew he'd been in there all night, wasting away with a few bottles of ale stolen from the cabin. And while he wasn't one to drink, every once in a while he'd get into one of those moods...

* * *

Pressing his lips together, he turned the knob-unlocked, sure enough-and peered inside through the crack in the door, the light from the hall cutting through the darkness and illuminating the desk against the far wall. A blond in a blue suit was slumped over it, sure enough, and he sighed as he entered.

"Sabo," he called, nudging the boy's shoulder and earning a groan. "Get up. At least move to your bed if you're going to sleep."

A tired whine escaped the blond, his head turning to stare blearily up at Law. It took him a while to register the other, and when he did his mouth curved into a goofy smile.

_Drunk. As expected._

"Ah, Taffyyyy," he slurred, forcing himself upright in his seat, "g'morning..."

Law's brow twitched, and he sighed. "It's past midnight, Sabo. Get to bed."

"Dun' wanna..."

Of course he didn't. Because he was difficult, always so annoyingly difficult. Suppressing a groan, Law slipped his arm around Sabo's back and forced him up, earning a protesting mumble from the other. He always got so whiny when he drank...

The moment Sabo started stumbling towards the bed his foot caught on Law's and he fell forward, dragging the surgeon down with him in a heap of limps and, of course, Law was the one who dealt with the brunt of the impact. He hissed as the back of his skull collided with the hardwood floor, none too pleased to see Sabo using him as a cushion.

"D-damn it, Sabo..."

With a groan the blond pushed himself up, hovering over his companion and dazedly staring into the other's eyes, head cocked to the side. And that goofy grin returned. "Pretty..."

"What?"

In answer Sabo pointed at his face, very narrowly avoiding stabbing him in the eye with his fingertip. "'S gold like... the colour of piss."

Law glared dully. "How flattering."

"_Or_-or um... the sun?"

"You sound skeptical."

"Nu-uh," he protested in a slur, shaking his head and looking like he was about to fall right back over. "'M not, 'cause they both blind me with radiance."

"...You have _got_ to be kidding me."

Suddenly Sabo's face lit up, and he didn't like that look. No, no, that look meant that he had an idea, and Sabo's ideas were alway guaranteed horrible when under the influence. "Eyes so bright they could light up the night sky."

"Sabo, no."

"Captivating and brilliant, and more precious than any gem."

"Stop it."

"Colour rich like amber... but not th' amber with dead stuff 'n it, like... the clear amber... though the fossils look really cool 'n you look really cool... C'n I have a kiss?"

Law let out a frustrated noise and shoved at the blond's chest. What was he even going on about? He doubted that the blond, himself, knew. "No, now would you kindly get off of me?"

"But I gave ya all those nice compliments..."

"Right. 'Nice' compliments." He snorted.

"I'm suave."

"Keep telling yourself that."

"Kiss now?"

"_No_."

Sabo pouted. "But Taffyyyyy..."

"Damn it, Sabo, you're worse than your brother!"

* * *

As Law recited every badly-delivered line he watched his companion's face turn mortified, cheeks colouring a deep, beet red as his eyes averted to the table between them. The doctor smirked. Embarrassed? He deserved it.

"I did not say that."

"You did."

"I did not and you have no proof to the contrary, my friend." At that Sabo quickly recomposed, sipping from his teacup. "Next time provide proof, hm?"

Law frowned. Oh he would. Next time he would record every drunken second of it.

* * *

**Adieu~**


	5. Sabo's Hat

**I got a request to write this little drabble about Sabo's hat on tumblr, so enjoy!**

* * *

The sky was rather dull, considering the occasion. One would expect a clear blue resembling the celebration going on throughout the island, but instead when Law stepped outside he was met with a dull white cloud cover stretching out over the horizon. Somehow he figured as much. For his trip there to have gone as well as it did… well, that was enough. He didn't need some picturesque victory.

Stepping out of the house they'd been resting in, Law took a deep, bracing breath as he lowered himself onto the grass despite his injuries. The little racoon-dog had made a fuss when he started moving but after being ignored made no move to follow, which he was thankful for. Law was a doctor himself, and as much as he knew rest would do him a world of good he felt the need for a bit of isolation, a bit of time away from the snoring Strawhat and his yammering crewmates. It was too much all at once as he still hadn't cleared his head after everything that had happened.

Law thought that perhaps the waterfront would be a nice place to clear his thoughts, if only he could make it that far. There would be days before he was ready to walk any significant distance so he unfortunately had to settle for just outside, just far enough away to be out of earshot. He closed his eyes, inhaled. Relaxed. Soon his thoughts were drifting to Corazon, a rush of relief and accomplishment surging through him. He'd finally done it. He'd finished what Corazon started all those years ago. Finally, he…

He heard the soft crunch of grass as a body lowered next to his and his eyebrow twitched as he felt his isolation slip right through his fingertips. All the tension he'd been releasing came right back and the mood was gone, soured by the other's presence.

"Trafalgar Law, I presume?" He recognised the tone, not having to bother with opening his eyes. It was Strawhat's bloody older brother. Before he left he caught the man mentioning that he wouldn't stay long, and yet there he was. Sitting there. _Bothering him._

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Law's voice lacked its usual bite, too exhausted to muster up a threatening tone, and it came out sounding more tired than anything.

The grin was evident in the blond—Sabo's—voice. "I do and I don't," came the lax reply. "Admittedly a part of my just wanted to get out of there before Luffy woke."

Law's eyes opened at that, scrolling over to watch as Sabo took off his top hat and lowered it into his hands, smoothing over the rim with a gloved finger. There was a distance in his eyes, as though he weren't really looking at it. And while a small, insignificant part of Law wondered about that, a much larger part was irked by that man's presence. He never continued their conversation in the hopes of stopping it there and granting himself a second chance at solitude.

"You're allied with my brother, correct?" Of course, Sabo couldn't take a hint. "You'd better be careful… He tends to be a bit of a handful at times."

"I've gathered," he bit out.

"I remember one time when we were little he managed to get himself eaten… several times. He's grown so much since then…" Sabo let out a soft snort. "Suppose I should have expected that, though. How did you two meet?"

"I—"

"I remember hearing something about Strawhat appearing in Sabaody… I'll assume you were there, too." Absently the blond fiddled with the rim of his hat, bending it ever so slightly. "All of the supernovas were present, weren't they? Well, they would have to have been, if they were to go through to the New World… But I didn't start hearing about the two of you until, well, coming to Dressrosa. So then—"

Law's level of tolerance had been reached and with a few bitterly muttered words the top hat was in shambles, falling to the grass in small, ribbon-like strips, a satisfying sight if only for the mortified look that crossed Sabo's face soon after. Everything was still a moment, and then that moment stretched into a minute and—

_Silence._

His shoulders slumped and he felt himself relax again. But it, again, didn't last. There was a tension to this quiet, a thickness that was impossible to ignore for long and eventually Law found himself peering over at the other. He felt his stomach drop at sight of the white-rimmed pupils staring in horror down at the shredded hat, Sabo's face drained of colour and left a pallid white. He looked mortified—over a _hat_.

Law's head hung low and he caught a glimpse of his chest tattoo poking out from beneath tightly-wrapped bandages, and he started to wonder just what significance that hat held for the annoying bastard seated next to him.

"What's that look for?" He sighed, and with a few more recited words the hat was whole again, resting in Sabo's hat.

Law had never seen someone look so drained by the use of his power.

"Don't," Sabo murmured quietly, a slight quiver to his voice. "Don't _ever_ do that."

The threat hidden behind those words made him all the more curious about the hat's origins. But he said nothing and simply enjoyed the silence.

* * *

**Adieu~**


End file.
